June 2016 Meeting Recap

It's been an eventful couple of weeks.  In an effort to make sure that this recap didn't end up as long as a George R R Martin novel, a few things were given their own posts.

The guild is participating in #quiltsforpulse.  The Orlando Modern Quilt Guild put out a call for blocks or finished quilts.  You can find that post and all of the information needed here.  Bring blocks to the July meeting or send them to us by mid-July at the latest.

QuiltConEast registration is right around the corner.  If you are thinking of going, don't hesitate.  It sounds like there will be several members going this year and we even have a member who will be volunteering behind-the-scenes.  Get the 411 on that right here.  Member pre-registration starts June 25th.

Okay!  Onto the meeting recap!

June 2016 Meeting: Making Traditional Designs Modern

It's that time again... Meeting announcement time!  June's meeting is all about taking traditional blocks or designs and tweaking them until they feel modern.  The best part is that decision is solely yours.  Everyone has a different threshold for "modern".  Sally is going to walk us through several traditional blocks and cover the different ways that you can alter them until they feel right to you and still honor the original intent.  On the other hand, you might want to steer away from traditional piecing, but you need a starting point.  Using an orphan block or traditional design in an entirely new way might help you get there.  Feel free to bring paper, crayons, pencils, etc to play around with designs. Sometimes the input from the quilter next to you is exactly what you need. :)  

PLUS, it's Paint Chip Challenge Time!  Bring your mini quilts and your entrance card (if you are entering) to the June meeting.  Amanda's last email covered adding the colors to the card and labeling the mini to ensure that you get it back.  They will be hanging at Spool and judged by the public.

All partner emails for the PAMQG Mini Swap have gone out.  Remember, the information you received is for the person you are creating FOR.  If you have any questions, ask Cheralee.  

2017 QuiltCon Charity palette

Last, but not least... The latest QuiltCon Charity Quilt Challenge has been released.  Bring your ideas (drawings if you have them) and your enthusiasm.  We are going to be voting on the coolest one!

May 2016 Meeting Announcement: Sew-In Time!

Hopefully you remembered to get your RSVP for the May 7, 2016 Sew-In on time.  If not, you can always drop by just for the meeting portion of the day at 1:00pm. 

Here are the details about the Sew-In...

The Sew-In will be at St. John's Lutheran Church (the same location as last year).  It will run from 9am-9pm.  Sally will be in contact with those people who responded to the poll about helping to set up and break down the tables.  Side note:  it might seem like a great idea to bring your own iron, but last year we had breaker overload problems. There will be irons and ironing boards available.  Please leave your own at home. Thanks!  Lunch is a potluck affair at noon, and the general May meeting will be at 1pm. Bring some cash if you want to chip in for dinner.  Last I heard, pizza was on the menu. The Sew-In is free for PGHMQG members and $20 for non-members.

Aside from a great day spent sewing (duh), here's what you can expect at the meeting...

• Money for the June Fat Quarter Club will be collected. I (Cheralee) will be choosing the fabrics.  Suggestions or requests are welcome. The cost is $12. 
• Any questions that might need answered about the Paint Chip Challenge introduced last month can be addressed at this meeting.  Here's a link to the info - Click here...
• We are kicking off the Pennsylvania Modern Quilt Guilds Mini Swap!  We are partnering with the Capital Area Modern Quilt Guild and the sign up link is live now.  Click here...
• We will be discussing our favorite sewing gadget.  You'll come away with a ton of new ideas and more reasons to go shopping.  :)

April 2016 Meeting Recap

Where to begin???  This month's talk was about Color Theory, choosing colors based on relationships and identifying colors that don't quite fit.

April 2016 Meeting: Color, Value and Prints

Join us April 3. 2016 from 1pm-4pm at The Pittsburgh Project where member Barbara Cain will present A QUILTER'S GUIDE TO COLOR, VALUE AND PRINT SCALE.


Have you ever asked:

            What is wrong with my quilt?
            Why didn’t my quilt turn out like I expected?
            What is it about that other quilt that I like so much?
            Why do some quilts look great and others fall flat?


Chances are that the answers to these questions have something to do with the quilt’s color, value and/or pattern scale. During this presentation, we will gain an understanding of these three crucial aspects of quilting and we will learn how to use this understanding to our advantage! We will examine both good and bad examples of color, value and pattern scale. We will practice what we have learned with a fun collage exercise and we will kick off our Paint Chip Mini Quilt Challenge!


Please bring the following items to the meeting that will be needed for the practice exercise:

• Fabric scraps (solids and different scales of prints)
• Colored paper scraps
• Old magazines
• Scissors
• School glue and/or clear tape, double sided if you have it

We will also be kicking off the Paint Chip Challenge at this meeting!  If you would like to participate, you will choose two paint chips at random and add a third color of your choice.  You will then construct a mini-quilt (24 inches square or smaller) using these three colors (plus neutrals).  The minis will be due at the June 5th meeting.  They will be displayed at Spool and the winner (who will receive a $50 Spool gift card) will be determined by the voting public.  That sounds fun, right?

Dates to remember:

• Salvation Army's Annual Fabric Fair is April 9th, 2016
• North Pittsburgh Quilters Guild Show is April 15-17, 2016